Drabbles
by ijustliketowatch
Summary: Steroline drabbles previously posted on Tumblr
1. Lies

From the following Tumbr prompt: Steroline; "That was a lie, wasn't it?"

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><p>Stefan doesn't understand what could be so funny at this moment. A guy doesn't typically expect a girl to start laughing after he kisses her for the first time. Yet that's exactly what Caroline is doing.<p>

He pulls away and sighs as she starts to laugh harder. "No," she whimpers and grabs his face to kiss him again.

"That's not really the reaction I was hoping for," he says when her laughter distracts her again.

"I know, I'm sorry," she says and puts both hands over her eyes in embarrassment, which is cute enough that he already forgives her.

"Then what is so damn funny?" he asks and puts both hands on either side of her hiips to pull her closer.

"It's just," she smiles and bites her lip to keep from laughing, "I can't stop thinking about the first time we talked."

"What?" Stefan asks. Caroline sighs and looks at him like he's an idiot.

"Don't you remember what you said? 'You and me, it's never going to happen,'" she says, doing an utterly charming imitation of his voice. "Guess that was a lie, wasn't it?" she asks playfully.

Stefan smiles and then leans in again.

"Big time," he says.


	2. Jealousy

Based on this prompt: Steroline - end of last episode, Caroline was jealous of Elena (Katherine) and Stefan. She leaves and Stefan runs after her.

I took some liberties with this prompt because I just couldn't justify the idea of Caroline running out of her own room when their feelings aren't quite at that level yet. I'm not quite sure about the result, but I'd love to hear what you think!

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><p>When Caroline first tried to hint to Elena that rekindling her relationship with Stefan might be a bad idea, she chalked it up to friendly concern.<p>

When she spotted them dancing at the Bitter Ball, she had told herself that the sudden tightening in her chest was simply a more exaggerated version of her earlier worry. Never mind that she had felt worse when Stefan had declined her offer to dance for like the first time ever.

But when she walked into their dorm room and found her two friends in the middle of a hug, she couldn't deny it anymore: she was jealous. When she had shredded the remaining mementos of her previous relationships (if what she'd had with Klaus could even be called that), Caroline had said she wanted to open herself up to something new. But as she stares at Elena and Stefan's faces, hers somehow smug and his almost guilty, Caroline knows what she really meant was that she wanted to open herself to taking an old relationship in a new direction.

"Hey," Stefan says awkwardly and shuffles his feet.

"Hey, I was looking for you guys," Caroline says with false brightness and walks further into the room because it would be too obvious if she turned and ran now. She does live here. "How's Jeremy?"

"Enzo tried to suffocate him," Stefan says, quickly moving away from Elena so they are no longer touching. "But Elena revived him."

"Oh my God, Elena, are you OK?" Caroline asks, genuinely worried.

"I'm alright," she replies, "just a little shaken up." She takes a big, steadying breath and gives Stefan those wounded puppy eyes Caroline knows he can't resist, but something about it strikes her as exaggerated, calculated even, in a way that Caroline has noticed more and more frequently.

"Well, I'm going to go wash up and get ready for bed," Elena says and turns toward their bathroom. "Goodnight, Stefan," she says softly and squeezes his arm as she goes. A look so tender passes between them that Caroline has to turn away. She sets her things down on her bed, hoping Stefan will just leave and she can confront her newly-discovered feelings tomorrow.

But, of course, the problem with falling for your best friend is that they know when something's off.

"So, did you enjoy the party?" he asks too casually and she can tell he's starting with something innocuous so he can ease into the tougher questions.

"Well, I would have preferred dancing with somebody instead of leaving early to solve the Supernatural Problem of the Day, as always," she rants and throws her hands in the air before plopping down on the edge of her bed. Stefan cocks an eyebrow and Caroline fidgets under his gaze, irrationally worried that he can already tell what's really wrong.

"Are you OK?" Stefan asks in that soft caring voice that really isn't helping right now.

"I'm fine," she lies and stares down at the floor dejectedly. Stefan sits down on the bed next to her, clearly determined to wait it out until she tells him what's wrong.

"What's going on between you and Elena?" she asks because she's never really been one for circumspection and it will shift his focus from her. Stefan looks startled a moment and then it's his turn to become evasive.

"Damon is taking the break-up harder than even I expected," he starts, "I'm just trying to make sure she isn't hurt. Be a friend."

"You two looked awfully cozy for just 'friends,'" Caroline replies, her tone a little more argumentative than she intends.

"Caroline...," he starts, but she stands and huffs in frustration.

"Come on, Stefan," she says, hating how whiny she sounds. "I know you both way too well not to recognize the signs. You're totally falling for each other again."

"It's not that simple," he replies and stands. "She's been...different since she broke up with Damon, like her old self and I...missed that," he explains haltingly. "I think a part of me is always going to love Elena, Caroline," he says and she has to fight not to let him see how much that thought stings her.

"But that doesn't mean you have to keep going back just because you loved each other once," she argues, her voice rising. She sends a nervous glance in the direction of the bathroom and hopes Elena can't hear them over the noise of the shower. She steps closer to him just in case. "You keep reliving the past, Stefan. Rebekah, Katherine, Elena," she stage-whispers. "I get that the doppelgängers are destined or whatever, but that's just it? You're not going to try to fight that, make your own destiny?" Stefan opens his mouth to speak, but now that she's going, Caroline won't stop. "You left Mystic Falls because you didn't want to be in this love triangle drama anymore and now you're putting yourself right back in it!"

Stefan takes a step back from her and for a moment, Caroline thinks that maybe she's been too harsh, but then he asks her the worst possible question.

"Why do you have such a problem with this?" he asks, his forehead crinkling as he tries to understand. She turns from him and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Because I care about you," she starts, which is true, but not the whole truth in this context. "I've seen what it does to you when she goes back to Damon and I just don't want you, either of you, to get hurt."

It's quiet for the first few moments after she speaks and Caroline briefly considers walking away before she makes anymore bitter rants when she feels Stefan's hand on her arm. She looks up to find him standing next to her, his expression so full of affection and concern that it makes her feel like swooning.

"Thank you," Stefan says softly and turns her so he can place a hand on each of her shoulders.

"For what?" she asks.

"For caring. For being such a good friend," he says sincerely, his hands gently rubbing her arms and leaving goosebumps in their wake. "After what Silas did to me," he pauses, his forehead crinkling with the pain of the memory, "I never thought I'd recover, come to terms with what happened. But you were always there, even when I lost my memories. You tried to bring me back to who I really was." He steps closer to her then and Caroline's briefly distracted from what he's saying by just how green and beautiful his eyes are this close. "I don't know what's happening with Elena," he admits, "but I appreciate you looking out for me." He shrugs and smiles at her, one of those slightly goofy, genuine smiles she rarely gets to see from him and she can't help but smile back.

She sees his eyes dart down to look at her lips and suddenly something changes between them. His smile fades a bit, his grip tightens on her arms and his gaze feels a bit more intense.

But then, as if she somehow knows this is the worst possible moment to appear, Elena opens the bathroom door and draws their attention.

"Stefan!" she says in surprise, pulling the rather small towel covering her body a little tighter. "I thought you'd left."

"We were just catching up," he says and drops his hands, the sudden absence of warmth snapping Caroline back to reality. "I should get going," he demurs. "Goodnight, Elena," he says and then turns and smiles at Caroline. "'Night," he says softly and then shoves his hands in his pockets.

Caroline follows him to the door and watches him go, hoping Bonnie comes back soon so she won't have to be alone with Elena. She's just about to shut it when Stefan suddenly turns back. He seems surprised but pleased to see her still standing there and he smiles and slips his hand out of his pocket to wave. She returns the gesture and then shuts the door.

Maybe there isn't so much to be bitter about.


	3. Kiss Cam

Based on this prompt from anon on Tumblr: steroline on the kiss cam- sporting event of your choosing

Listen, I know Syracuse no longer plays in the Big East Tournament, but I'm still in denial about it and the fact that I spent 0% of my March in MSG. So just indulge me. I don't actually think they ever do a kiss cam at even the the final game, but again, that's not the most fantastical thing about this drabble.

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><p>"Where is your Orange pride?" Caroline chides and lightly smacks Stefan on the shoulder.<p>

"It died on Wednesday about five minutes after the first game started," he deadpans, looking profoundly bored where he's sprawled out in one of Madison Square Garden's cramped seats.

"Oh come on, Stefan," she sighs and plops down in her seat next to him, in unison with the crowd surrounding them. "I know you've done this a million times, but this is my first trip through grad school and you know how much classes have been kicking my ass. I need some fun," she adds with a pout and he briefly wonders why she ever uses compulsion at all when she always looks so damn cute when she does that. He pulls his arm around her tighter and leans in to whisper in her ear.

"I think we could have much more fun in our suite at the St. Regis," he says seductively and presses a kiss to the soft skin of her neck. He can both see and sense her blushing.

"Later," she says, her voice a little huskier than a moment ago and turns away from him to stare intently at the game. Stefan smiles to himself and does the same.

"Hey, look," she says and points up at the jumbotron, "Kiss Cam." Stefan rolls his eyes and Caroline nudges him and frowns. "Now what is wrong with the Kiss Cam? It's cute," she adds and turns to stare dreamily at the couples forced to perform for the camera. Stefan is about to argue when they suddenly appear on the screen.

Caroline gasps in excitement and turns to him. "You can tell me why this is stupid later," she says, "but at least kiss me on the cheek now so we don't look lame."

She leans in, expecting him to give her a perfunctory peck only to be surprised when he takes her face in both hands and kisses her in a way that seems a little vulgar for public. He pulls away a minute later–long after the camera has moved on and after the game has resumed–and smirks at the flush on Caroline's skin. She opens her eyes with a sigh and looks at him through her eyelashes. She turns her head to look at the jumbotron and then stands.

"We should go," she says lowly and grabs his hand.

"What about the game?" he asks, but stands with her.

"We're up by 15 and there're only five minutes left on the clock. Syracuse is going to win the tournament. Right now we need to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible."

Stefan smiles smugly and follows her without comment.


	4. Blood Sharing

Based on this prompt from and Anon on Tumblr: "Some kind of like, blood sharing between Stefan and Caroline."

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><p>Her blood is sweet.<p>

Stefan's tasted a lot of it since 1864, but nothing like this. He thinks that somehow he should have expected it of her.

It reminds him of something, though he can't quite figure out what. It reminds him of that first strawberry he had right after he turned, familiar yet somehow totally new because his heightened senses made it more nuanced. Or freshly bloomed flowers, their fragrance wafting thick and heavy on the warm spring air. Or like the port wine his father let him try as a boy, rich and full and exotic in a way that suddenly made him yearn for adulthood.

Yearning. That's what it is. More concept than taste, but true nonetheless. It's a feeling he became very familiar with during his time on the Other Side. When Stefan found himself suddenly transported to Bonnie after his death, it wasn't Damon that came to his mind, or even Elena, but Caroline. And not just because he was worried Julian might hurt her in his absence, but that he would now be absent from her life.

He sought her out immediately, because he needed to be near her even if she wouldn't know it, and the impotence he'd felt watching her grief over his death had been maddening. Unable to speak to her, unable to hold her as she cried, he longed to give her some sign. He wasn't afforded the opportunity until after she'd taken his body to the Salvatore boarding house, after Damon and Elena had run off to find a way to save him.

Caroline had continued to sit there, looking more broken than he'd ever seen as she held his hand and cried quietly. He searched the room for some way to tell her he was there until his eyes landed on the nearby drink cart. He picked up an empty tumbler and her favorite bottle of bourbon and poured a glass, setting it down on the nearby table. She stared at it disbelievingly as he did, eyes widening.

"Stefan?" she said hopefully and glanced around the room wildly. He edged the glass closer to her slightly and she laughed through her tears. "I'm so sorry I couldn't stop Julian," she said and hung her head in shame.

"It's not–" he started and then remembered she couldn't hear him. Instead, he reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. She looked surprised a moment and then squeezed his hand.

"We're going to find a way to bring you back," she said, in that determined way he knew from experience was as good as a guarantee. He'd known then that he wanted more with her and he spent the rest of his time on the Other Side, thinking of what he would do and say when he was alive again.

Yet Stefan doesn't do or say any of it when he's first revived. He's too overwhelmed by how good it feels to touch and taste her after thinking he'd never get that chance. He lifts his hand and tightens it around her wrist, the only sign of affection he can manage in his weakened state.

"You're OK," Caroline says through tears, "I'm here."

So, he drinks her in, restoring himself through her. And she lets him.


	5. Coming and Going

Based on a prompt by give-me-tvd on Tumblr: how about talking about Caroline without Stefan basically, like how she struggles to fix things without him. and how she thinks of him all the time and leaves him voice males, she cries in one of them. They talk about it all and about that voice mail and you take it from there.

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><p>When Stefan first leaves, Caroline begs him not to go. It's pathetic and embarrassing and she hates herself for it, but she has to try anyway. She needs him.<p>

There's a moment, just after he says goodbye that last time, where he looks at her like she might have changed his mind. His expression is sad and meaningful in a way she can't quite read and he opens his mouth as if he's going to say something but stops himself. He gives her that sad smile of his that always breaks her heart, squeezes her hand and then turns away.

She doesn't realize just how vital he was to her until he's gone. It leaves her feeling utterly alone and as brooding as Stefan can be, he makes it easier for her to think that maybe everything isn't so bad—like he's the pessimist to her optimist. But without him, not even school can keep her from thinking about what she's lost—of Bonnie, of the future she once imagined with Tyler and even of stupid Damon. God, she'd even bring him back if it meant Stefan would return too.

She contacts him every way she knows how. At first, she wants to convince him to come back, but when it becomes clear he won't respond, she keeps doing it anyway. It comforts her: the thought that he's listening to the voicemails she leaves almost daily (because he certainly must be if his mailbox hasn't filled up by now). She talks to him as if the conversation is two-sided, updating him on the mundane details of her life because no one has ever listened to her prattling the way he always has.

And for awhile it's enough. But then Elena becomes obsessed with her Damon hallucinations and Caroline starts not to recognize this girl she's known her whole life. It scares her. So she calls him for the thousandth time and hopes this time he'll actually listen.

She starts off angry and a little bitter, but then the reality of their lives start to weigh her down and by the end she's barely able to speak through tears.

"You have to come back, Stefan," she pleads. "I don't know what to do. I need your help."

She goes to bed that night feeling miserable and helpless, finally drifting off to sleep after she spends hours telling herself that he won't come back even now.

But he does.

Caroline leaves her dorm the next morning and finds him standing there outside her building, hands in his pockets and looking at her in that concerned way he does.

"Stefan?" she says, unbelieving.

"I got your message," he says and smiles at her, not the big goofy one that means he's really happy, but the pained one.

Right. Of course he came back after hearing that, it's Elena.

They stand in silence a moment, the distance between them feeling full of something.

"Are you OK?" he asks softly, forehead crinkling in concern.

She doesn't say anything, just flings herself at him and wraps him into a hug.

"It's OK," he whispers into her ear. "I'm here"

"And you're not going to leave me again?" she asks, already feeling more grounded with his strong arms wrapped around her.

"No," he says and grips her tighter.

Her sigh of relief morphs into a sob of joy.


End file.
